We were off sightseeing again last Saturday but this time we were a lot closer to home, visiting Tewkesbury with our friends Lynn and Brendan. A Mediaeval market town in the county of Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury stands on the confluence of the Rivers Avon and Severn and was named after Theoc, a Saxon who formed a hermitage here in the 7th Century. It's only an hour's drive from home, every time we go we ask ourselves why we don't go more often!
The town is probably best known for the Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471 and was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. Tewkesbury Abbey, which was built in the 12th Century, was unsuccessfully used as a sanctuary by some of the defeated Lancastrians following the battle but the victorious Yorkists, led by Edward IV (Jon's 17 x great uncle), forced their way into the abbey and the subsequent bloodshed caused the building to be closed for a month until it could be purified and re-consecrated.
Originally part of a monastery, the Abbey was saved from Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries after being bought by the townspeople for the price of the lead on the roof to use for their parish church.
The houses and shops throughout the town chart Tewkesbury’s prosperity through a variety of trades. Medieval cottages exist alongside Tudor townhouses and Georgian architecture. Famous for its mustard (Shakespeare’s Falstaff has the line “Wit as thick as Tewkesbury mustard”), other major industries over the years in Tewkesbury include brewing and malting, pin making and the knitting of stockings.
A perfectly preserved Mediaeval townscape, Tewkesbury is home to over 400 listed properties and one of the few places in The Cotswolds where you can see black and white half-timbered buildings.
Tewkesbury holds an internationally renowned Mediaeval Fayre every July where the Battle of Tewkesbury is reenacted by the local history society. The street banners hanging from the buildings are based on the Mediaeval coats of arms of every person involved in the battle.
Tewkesbury has a plenthora of charity shops and a handful of antique centres and junk shops, too.
Brendan and Lynn used to have a unit in this one. Jon treated himself to some fantastic vintage vinyl.
The Town Hall hosts regular craft and antiqies fairs. It's a great place for a cup of tea, too.
Over the River Avon, close to the former flour mill, King John's Bridge has its origins in the late 12th century. Another of the town’s entrances over the River Severn is the Mythe Bridge designed by Thomas Telford. A cast-iron structure with a 170-foot span, the bridge opened to traffic in 1826.
Taking a breather between charity shops!
You have to love a town with a cat sculpture.
I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that there's a Wetherspoons in Tewkesbury. The Royal Hop Pole on Church Street is an amalgamation of a number of historic buildings dating between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries and even got mentioned in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers. We ate pizza in the shady courtyard overlooking the River Severn, possibly one of Spoons' prettiest beer gardens.
The tourist information centre is situated in a building built in 1694. The beadle's hat suspended from the first floor is a leftover from when the building was used as a hat shop.
Cornell Books, a family run business with 30,000 antiquarian and secondhand books, is housed within the former Wheatsheaf pub. The proprietor told me that one of her customers had recently done some research and discovered that the oak beams dated to 1425!
It's an incredible place and the paperbacks are great value.
We loved this shop even more when we spotted the resident cat.
We visited every charity shop in Tewkesbury (I lost count at 10) but were very restrained, only buying a 1960s cobalt blue Welsh Wool tapestry trilby and a 1950s Dunn & Co. feather-trimmed fedora - both of which are destined for the next festival. Here's our vinyl haul (from the antiques centre and one of the charity shops)....Revolution by Theatre of Hate (1983), a first pressing of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (1977) which, unlike our other copy, has the much sought-after textured sleeve, Plastic Bertrand's 1977 album An 1 (I've still got the 7" single, Ca Plane Pour Moi, which I bought from Woolworths the same year!), Sex (I'm a...) Pleasure Victim by Berlin (1982) and a 12" of Careless Whisper by George Michael (1984) - I still have my original 7", bought when I was in the 6th form!
Thanks to Lynn and Brendan for a bostin' day out.
If you've not been to Tewkesbury you really should, you can even stay at Wetherspoons !
It's Jon's birthday tomorrow. I'll report back with what we got up to before the end of the week.
Tewkesbury's a lovely place to visit. We used to go quite often as dil's parents live near there. And as you say lots of charity shops and a very decent Wetherspoons. We went to Belper Pride on Saturday which was fabulous, lots of drums and processions. Iris had her face painted in the pride colours. Xx
ReplyDeleteHello Gill! Tewkesbury is gorgeous, isn't it? I love that Pride has become a mainstream event and whole communities embrace the celebrations. I bet Iris didn't want to wash her face afterwards! xxx
DeleteYour day trip to Tewkesbury has made me feel "homesick" for the UK! We really must try and visit next time we're there - hopefully in 2026, but I'm no longer taking these things for granted.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't give for a browse in that antiques centre and Cornell Books. That Wetherspoons looks really lovely too!
I'm loving your vinyl haul, particularly, of course, the Plastic Bertrand one. You mentioning Ca Plane Pour Moi has given me a whopper of an earworm :-) xxx
Jon immediately shouted "Ann & Jos" when he found that Plastic Bertrand LP - another of Begium's finest (both of you incuded!)
DeleteWe're keeping everything crossed for 2026 - I'm not sure if you've been before but I know you'd both love it! xxx
Usually I dance at the Medieval Festival every summer, but we missed it this year although Mythago still went. That cat is part of Project Alley Cat. There are a series of artworks featuring cats hidden up the alleysxx
ReplyDeleteAn old schoolfriend who lives in that neck of the woods mentioned the cat trail, too. I can't believe neither me or Lynn had heard of it before...next time! xxx
DeleteThat's great that you discovered the biography there. Your father's cousin is your great-uncle, right?
ReplyDeleteThat was a lovely day trip. I love your dress, it looks wonderful on you.
Thanks, Andrea! I think the cricketer is my second cousin, not that I've ever met him but it's a great claim to fame when I meet cricket fans! xxx
DeleteHappy Birthday, Jon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, K! xxx
DeleteI'm going to have to eat at least once in a Whetherspoons or can I really say I visited? I can't set over how old the buildings are and the way mixed century architecture just becomes the norm.
ReplyDeleteYou have to visit a Wetherspoons on your trip, it's a proper taste of British life! xxx
DeleteMany happy returns to Lord Jon, xx
ReplyDeleteCornell Books? Do you think anyone would notice if I quietly moved in and curled up in a corner? The books, the library steps, the cat . . . heaven.
Thank you!!! Even better, Cornell Books offer a discount on your next purchase when you return a book! xxx
DeleteTewksbury looks a fascinating city . I have always adored the half timbered buildings . That antiquarian book shop is amazing , you could loose yourself in there for hours.
ReplyDeleteWishing Jon a very Happy Birthday.
It's a beautiful place, Jill! I'd love to visit the Mediaeval Fayre one day! xxx
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ReplyDeletep.s. happy birthday to Jon :)
DeleteThanks, Betty! xxx
DeleteOops I had to delete my previous comment as I accidentally put a link to my facebook page! I loved your dress, is it 'an Audrey'? Tewkesbury is beautiful, I would need more than a day to get through all those charity shops plus the book shop! The spoons looks so cosy, I wondered if their carpet pattern had any link to the towns history/trades. The cat sculpture is so beautiiful, I would love one! I googled the Csar sculpture and found his lovely story of being rescued and brought to the UK and sculpted by artist Diane Gorvin and Phil Brews, but there is also more, about the alleys of Tewkesbury and the Alleycat Project... then I was off down a rabbit hole! you may have seen it but here's a link: https://www.bing.com/alink/link?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.alleycat.org.uk%2f&source=serp-local&h=hDvuSOkysbe%2fgqSWtqQnloC9HlAbaZhLATfUzt4C8kI%3d&p=lw_gbt&ig=642F01734A8044DE8D24771885D60D1F&ypid=YN1029x7177379920249619024
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely post.
Thanks for that link! An old schoofriend mentioned the cat trail after I'd shared my post on Facebook. Neither Lynn or I knew anything about it so that link is brilliant and a great excuse to go back. That sculpture of Czar is so sweet, I couldn't help stroking it.
DeleteI was thrilled to spot an empty corner of Spoons so I could snap a picture. I think the carpet might be based on a heraldic design - I'll have to study it more closely when we next visit. xxx
PS The dress was another from Mrs Kaur's £5 rail, it is almost identical to an orange one I've been drooling over on Audrey's site!
I remember visiting Tewkesbury many years ago when I was always frequenting Cotswold towns and villages. Such a lovely place, the half timber buildings remind me a bit of Stratford although with fewer modern buildings scattered around. That dress you have on is absolutely gorgeous!!! Happy birthday Jon. I hope you have a good one xx
ReplyDeleteIt's such a beautiful town, isn't it? If it wasn't so prone to flodding I think we'd be very tempted to live there! xxx PS Jon says thank you!
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ReplyDeleteGosh, it's years since I last visited Tewkesbury. I'd forgotten how pretty it is there, even Spoons!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Lord Jon! X
Thanks, Jules! I think it must be one of the loveliest Spoons in the UK! x
DeleteThat bookshop ........ and then I went down the rabbit hole like others and enjoyed these pictures. https://www.alleycat.org.uk/art-in-alleys/
ReplyDeleteThnaks, Ruth! I've saved that link! I'm going to have to revisit before too long just to do the trail! xxx
DeleteIt looks like a brilliant place to visit, what's not to love, charity shops, a MASSIVE book shop, gorgeous architecture, a Wetherspoons AND cats sleeping on mats outside shops. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Lord Jon for tomorrow, I hope you both have a wonderful day celebrating. xx
Thnaks, Sue! Tewkesbury has it all - hisrstory, charity shops, a posh Spoons and a cat connection - what's not to love?! xxx
DeleteWhat a gorgeous town! And so full of history! I enjoyed the tour, thank you (especially the shop cat). Happy Birthday, Jon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheila! xxx
DeleteWhat a fab place. Rumours is one of the best albums ever what a find. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! Rumours is an absolute classic, you can't have too many copies! xxx
DeleteHappy birthday to Jon! Loved your post, Vix. What a stunning town.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catmac! x
DeleteFleetwood Mac Rumors - Elite !
ReplyDeleteIt never grows old, does it? x
DeleteWhat a lovely time you must have had.. Wow. What a book shop. Tewkesbury looks a nice place. Reminds me of Shrewsbury. Where my Aunt lives. Happy Birthday to Jon. I hope you both enjoy the day. Take care of yourselves x
ReplyDeleteHello, LC! It does feel very similar to Shrewsbury, another place within easy reach of home but rarely visited by us! xxx
DeleteHappy Birthday Jon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful city, and that bookstore.
-Jen
Thanks, Jen! I could have moved into that bookshop, it smelt so inviting! x
DeleteTewkesbury seems to be a truly enchanted place: Long may the spell linger, especially on hot summer days when pigeons are cooing on the river bridge -- stalked by a cat.
ReplyDeleteHello Beth! Tewkesbury really is stunning, it's like being on a film set! x
DeleteHappy birthday to Jon!
ReplyDeleteDrooling over the bookshop!!! What a place!! Tewkesbury sounds a really cool place! I must visit some time! Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it's long been on my list of places to go!
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